Improvement in bedstead-fastenings



UNITED S'rn'rns PA'IET OFFICE.

WILLIAM H.`ELLIOT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT iN BEDSTEAD-FFASTENINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152.621, dated June 30, 1874; application filed April 1, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WM. H. ELLIOT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fastening for Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lett-ers of reference marked thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same devices in all the figures. l

To enable others skilled in the art to co1nprehend, make, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its nature, construction, and operation.

My present invention relates to improvements upon tenons for bedstead-fastenings; and it is designed to remove defects which have developed themselves in the manufacture and use of tenons for that purpose.

The nature of my invention consists in giving to the tenons of a bedstead-fastening a certain novel form, which will befound fully set forth in the specification and claim.

lt has been found necessary, first, to reduce the size of the fastening, so as to reduce the expense of the material and manufacture; second, to place the tenons higher and farther from the lower corner of the rails, so that less strain may be brought upon it when the ,bedstead is pulled about by the top of the post; third, to reduce the size of the post -1nortise, so that a smaller and cheaper post may be used.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tenon, showing two convex or curved surfaces upon the body of the same. Fig. 2 is the same, showing the flat side of the body. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the same at dotted liner', looking toward to the post. Fig. 4 is the same, looking toward the rail. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of my improved tenon. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the same at dotted line c. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a post, showing a mortise. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a cleat and the end of a rail, showing the cut for a tenon. Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 10 is the same, showing a modified form of the cut or mortise.

a and a is the body of my improved tenon, having two convex or curved surfaces on one side and at on the other. This portion of my tenon fills the niortise in` the end of the rail. b is the head of the tenon which goes into the mortise c in the post; d and d', the rail-mortise, consisting of two concave or curved depressions cut in the rail on one side, and the other side is covered by the flat surface of the cleat; e, the shoulders orprojections on the head of the tenon which rests against the shoulders e in the post-mortise; i, the shoulder on the convex or curved side of the tenon, formed by making the surface or projection a higher4 than the surface a. This shoulder rests against a corresponding shoulder, i', in the mortise of the rail, formed by cutting the surface d deeper than the surface d; u, the cleat across the end of the rail which forms the at side of the rail-mortise; n, the shoul der formed by making the body of the tenon in a cylindrical form. This shoulder rests against the end' of the rail.

By placing the mortise in the side of the rail I am able to let the tenon into it at any point, but I prefer to place it about midway between the upper and lower corners.. In that way I increase the distance between the tenon and the lower corner of the rail, which, when force is applied to the top of the post to pull the bedstead from place to place, becomes thefulcrum over which the tenon is strained. By thus locating the tenon less strain can be brought upon it in moving the bedstead, so that it may safely be reduced to about one-half the size, in that way saving not only in the cost of the material and in the expense of manufacture, but I am able to reduce the size of the mortise in the post in the same proportion, whereby a much smaller` and less expensive post may be used. Heretofore the tenons have been let into the rail from the bottom, and consequently raising the several shoulders farther from the lower corner of the rail would necessitate the use of a wider and more expensive tenon, or the filling up `of the lower part of the mortise.

Fig. 10 shows a modification in the form of my improved mortise in the rail. The curve of the concave side is iiattened a little in the middle. The body of the tenon in that case must be made to fit it. This would give to the tenon a little more strength. The body of Y the tenon may be divided intomore than two curved surfaces, and so produce more shoulders, and the projecting curved surfaces may be of any desired width or height. I prefer, however, in case glue or cement is to be used to fasten the tenon to the rail7 that the body of thev tenon should be about equally divided between the lower and the higher or projecting surfaces. The at side of the tenon7 which rests against the cleat, may, if it become neccssary to lighten it7 be made hollowr or concave.

Having described my improved fastening for bedsteads, what I desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent of the United States 1s A bedstead-fastening,"7 with the curved projection a, curved surface a', shoulder i, head fu, and diagonal shoulders e, constructed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WM. H. ELLIOT.

VVitnescss C. L. OsGooD, D. LEWIS. 

